Hong Kong this week is seeing the worst clashes between protesters and police in the past five months.<br />And China's foreign ministry on Wednesday denounced a U.S. senator for saying he wants to push forward a bill supporting the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.<br />Our Eum Ji-young has more.<br />Protesters crippled Hong Kong for the third straight day on Wednesday as they blocked roads and train services, forcing businesses to close.<br />Police rained down teargas and rubber bullets on students and protesters, who fought back with molotov cocktails and fiery arrows dipped in petrol.<br />Hundreds of students have fled after days of violence on several university campuses.<br />Demonstrators braced for more clashes, some armed with javelins, bows and arrows.<br />The demonstrators put up barricades and used bricks and projectiles to block roads in several places, including in the central financial district and Mong Kok.<br />Some protesters gathered at the Cross-Harbour Tunnel tollbooths, setting them on fire and vandalizing them.<br />Near a subway station, a 70-year-old resident was hit in the head by a brick-shaped object thrown by protesters and is in critical condition according to local media.<br />As more disruption is expected on Thursday, Hong Kong's subway operator suspended parts of its rail network and the Cross-Harbour tunnel was blocked.<br />The government ordered the suspension of schools from kindergartens to colleges on Thursday for the first time as clashes turned increasingly violent.<br />Meanwhile, U.S. Senator Jim Risch said he supports the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act and said he wants to push forward a bill supporting the protests. This drew an angry response from China on Wednesday.<br />Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang criticized the senator by saying that "Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong" and no external forces should interfere China's internal affairs.<br />Eum Ji-young Arirang News.<br />
